Awakening
by Mechina
Summary: Dr. Haruno has not changed from that twelve year old fiery pinkette, and when Shikamaru was stuck in the hospital because he tried stopping a mugging; he found it a little charming. - Rated M. AU.
1. Chapter 1

So I figured I'd try my hand at a ShikaSaku fic (one of my OTP's). I suppose it depends on how many reviews/likes/follows I get if I'll continue or not. So I hope everyone enjoys the beginning! Let me know if you'd like to read more.

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The only thing Shikamaru recalled was beeping, frantic yelling, and bright lights. He was hefted onto a soft mattress, only to be pushed through long hallways, which resulted in even more yelling. His face shifted to a grimace, and he almost growled out loud. 'Can that loud female shut up? She is driving me nuts.' It was a thought that he wanted to say to the people surrounding him, but the only thing that came out was a muffled groan.

That's when more frantic yelling began.

'Dammit. Was I the reason for that?' Shikamaru asked himself as he tried to shift his position, though there wasn't much he could do with the pain in his side.

"Don't move," He heard someone say, and he vaguely recalled that voice sounding familiar, "You'll only make your wounds worse."

That was the last thing he heard before he passed out again. The next time he woke up, he heard voices speaking in the distance, and he realized they were discussing _him_. He remained still, deciding that he should listen instead of interrupt, but he still wasn't sure about what was going on.

"… His condition is stabilized, but he can't be allowed visitors!" There was that voice again. Who was that? "We have to make sure he is mentally aware of who he is before we can let people in to see him. So, you tell Naruto to buzz off otherwise he'll have to deal with me!" There was a loud squeak of someone hastily agreeing, which he assumed was the nurse, and then there was silence.

'What the hell is going on? Why am I here? Where am I?'

A soft sigh knocked him out of his thoughts. "You can stop pretending to be asleep." That's when he finally opened his eyes and met a clear shade of emerald; which held a soft glow. He wondered briefly who she was, until recognition finally dawned on him.

"Sakura?"

"Oh good, you're aware of who I am. Do you know who you are?" She started checking his vitals, passing a flashlight over his eyes, which made him close them again. "Hey, you know the drill! Keep them open!"

Shikamaru groaned slightly, "If you want me to keep them open, then why are you blinding me with that flashlight? Troublesome woman…"

Sakura huffed with impatience, "Because this is standard procedure to make sure you're doing okay! Now answer my first question. Do you know who you are?"

For a moment, he wanted to pretend that he had no idea who he was just to mess with her, but he knew that wouldn't work. He already stated her name, so she would see right through his façade. "Shikamaru Nara." He muttered stubbornly, while Sakura placed one hand on his chest to check his heart.

"Where do you work? What date is it?"

Shikamaru squinted, "Konoha Police Station. I'm a Forensic Technician," He looked at her when she paused all of her movements before giving her the date. That's when she nodded as if confirming the information before she started writing things on the clipboard that was on his bedside table. Why was she being so secretive? What happened? Why was he in the hospital?

Without missing a beat, he grabbed her wrist, "Why am I here Sakura?"

She easily pulled herself from his grip and pushed his hand down to let it rest next to his side, "You were injured when you tried saving someone from being mugged. Are you saying you don't remember the accident?"

He stared at her briefly before memories flooded back into his head. After getting off work, he waved goodbye to his coworkers, and took the shortcut to his apartment. He lived nearby, so walking to work never bothered him. Besides, he enjoyed watching the clouds as he walked through the streets. He heard some shuffling going on in an alleyway next to his apartment building, which gave him reason to check it out.

That's when he was faced with a moral dilemma. Save this girl and be deemed a hero or leave like he never saw anything. He had considered all the possibilities—none of which involved him getting into a fight with the asshole mugging that girl, though that's exactly how it turned out. 20 different choices, but this one ended up with him in the hospital.

"I know that look. You're remembering everything aren't you?"

Shikamaru sighed, "I studied every position I could have chosen to intercept the situation. There were 20 options, each ending with me defending that girl without injury, but I miscalculated."

Sakura almost snorted, but she refrained from doing so, deciding she didn't need to tell him he was foolish for going after that guy in the first place. "The guy is in captivity and the girl is fine. You're the only one who sustained any injuries."

Knowing that nearly made him huff in annoyance. Of course, he was the only one who ended up with a stab wound. He should have called the police instead. Shikamaru wasn't weak by any means, but when a weapon came into play, he would lose every time. He must have stood there for too long. Calculating possibilities in his head took a bit, and he was running low on time in the first place. That meant the other guy had even more time to halt anything Shikamaru tried.

Was he spotted before he calculated every course of action he could take?

"Well you're lucky. He nearly got your kidney, but he missed by two centimeters. If you weren't brought to us when you were, then you probably wouldn't have survived. Did you calculate that Shikamaru?" Her tone wasn't aggravated, and there was even a hint of worry behind it.

Shikamaru recalled the thoughts that appeared in his head when he lied on the ground, bleeding and holding his side in pain. The girl had been shouting and then there were sirens echoing in the distance. The only thing Shikamaru wished for right then was to smoke. If he was going to die, then shouldn't he have been able to do something he enjoyed?

It was like his life flashed before his eyes the longer he laid on the ground; his wound bleeding profusely as more shouts echoed around him. His childhood—his first kiss—his first girlfriend—his first breakup—his parents fighting—playing shogi—the memory of his mentor dying right before his eyes—his failed almost marriage—and then many other memories that weren't important enough to recall in that moment.

Another sigh jolted him from his thoughts. "Other than the stabbing, there are many other medicinal issues going on in your body Shikamaru! We will discuss those later!" She straightened her jacket, "Besides, you have visitors waiting for you. I don't think I should keep Naruto waiting. But if he does anything wrong or if you reopen your wound, I will personally come in here and hurt you both!"

There was no doubt in his head that she meant every word. Even after all these years of not seeing one another, Shikamaru realized Sakura had not changed. She was still the ill-tempered pinkette that he remembered her to be. For some reason, that was a refreshing thought, though he decided to let it disappear as soon as it came. He was still recovering. Right now, that's what he needed to focus on.

"Shikamaru!" The voice of one of his best friends caused him to look towards the door, where Naruto stood with his pregnant wife in tow, barely able to keep up with him as he rushed over to him, "Oh man… when I got the call I almost thought you were—"

"It's good to see you awake Shikamaru," Hinata softly interjected, "Here, I made your favorite meal." She held up a tiny little bento box that was wrapped securely in a purple bow. He could smell the mackerel and rice from inside, which almost made his mouth water just by the aroma. He wasn't sure if he could eat, but he would probably try. Knowing Sakura, she would confiscate it before he could. Hinata placed it down on one of the chairs, gently placing his coat over it. Ah, so she knew who he was dealing with.

Naruto moved to stand next to him, "How are you feeling? I mean I know that may be a dumb question… but…" As the blond awkwardly shifted his feet and rubbed the back of his head, Shikamaru noticed the worry lines that had creased on his forehead. How long had he been here? He was almost afraid of asking that question.

Shikamaru slowly sat up, despite the protests of his wound, and thanked Naruto when he helped him finish his small mission. "I feel like the time when my mother nagged me for sleeping in until noon on a Saturday."

The Uzumaki's slowly looked at each other. This made him chuckle with a light shake of his head. "Annoyed and tired. That's how I feel right now Naruto."

This made both Uzumaki's to chuckle in response. "Well, you've been out for nearly eight hours. Sakura wasn't even on call! Since she is such a workaholic, she was already here. I guess she saw that it was you and just had to rush over here to work on you." Naruto gave Shikamaru his infamous smile, "Oh by the way! Choji called and said he was stuck in the airport at Kirigakure. He may not be here until tomorrow."

That was another one of Shikamaru's best friends. Choji was a well-known chef, usually travelling around the five countries to show off his food in either a restaurant or a show. It didn't really bother him that he wasn't here, especially because of how busy he could be. "He'll be relieved to know you're okay."

Shikamaru nodded to let Naruto know he understood the circumstances. After that, their conversation shifted to many things like the mugging or the weather. It wasn't until Sakura said that visitors were no longer allowed that they left, which gave Shikamaru the chance to eat the mackerel Hinata cooked. Sakura didn't notice, and even with the wound telling him it was a bad idea, he decided to do it anyway. When he finished, he placed the box back into his jacket pocket and returned to bed, an innocent look playing on his expression.

When Sakura walked in, her eyes were angry, and he glanced towards the machine he had accidentally plugged himself out of. 'Troublesome.' The male said inside his head while Sakura began the lecture of why he shouldn't be trying to move. While she did that, Shikamaru took that moment to study her appearance. She had a lab coat on, though the clothes she wore underneath it were not suitable for hospital attire.

He couldn't see her shirt, but since her jeans were tight enough to hug her calves, he assumed they were tight enough to hug her waist. That thought alone made him uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the drugs messing with his head.

"… and if you try to leave this bed I will make sure I tie you to it!" Sakura said, placing her hands on her hips. He realized he missed that entire conversation, but he tried playing it off.

Shikamaru waved his hand dismissively, "I'm not the submissive type Sakura."

The words came out before he had time to stop them. He noticed the blush that appeared on her cheeks and her eyes widening a little in surprise. Even Shikamaru didn't think about what he said, but he didn't feel embarrassed by them. He knew it was harmless, and so did she. He was injured which gave him the advantage to not have her hurt him for the comment. She would get him back for it later, though he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath through her nose as she coughed into her hand, "W-well that's not my issue?"

It wasn't everyday that Shikamaru would see her so flustered. Besides, they haven't seen each other in years. There was nothing wrong with trying to be friendly with one another. "Weren't you off the clock?" He asked, deciding to change the subject to something else. That's when her eyes snapped open and she realized Naruto had told him what happened. Shikamaru's entire body filled with dread. If looks could kill, then he would probably be ash right then.

"I was, but you were… it was…" Sakura almost looked like Hinata as a teen with the way she was acting, "Even though we haven't seen each other in a while, I still noticed who you were. We may not be close, but I wanted to help you. We knew each other as children Shikamaru. We grew up right next door to each other. Seeing you lay there like that was a little disheartening."

It was logical. If he saw someone like her laying in a hospital bed, then he wasn't sure how he would react either. Even though he wasn't a doctor, he was still a Forensic Technician with the Konoha Police Department. That job was rough sometimes which resulted in him drinking himself blind in the bar across the street. Shikamaru knew there was a little emotion in her words, but that wasn't all it was. She was afraid for his life.

"Well, thanks for patching me up Sakura. When do you think I'll be allowed to go home?"

Her hands moved to hold onto her clipboard a little tightly as she regarded him with narrowed eyes, "A week at most."

'Great,' Shikamaru thought, 'A week of nagging when I don't do as the doctor ordered.'

What could go wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop pretending to be asleep!"

Shikamaru cracked his eyes open and met that same shade of emerald which regarded him with a little bit of fury. He sighed in annoyance, though she paid that no mind. "You managed to unplug yourself from the machine again. Care to have an explanation?"

They stared at each other. He was silent, obviously calculating his response, while Sakura's look of fury shifted. If anyone could look even angrier than what was considered normal, it was her. She looked like she wanted to smack him, but she had refrained from acting out on impulse, so she easily exhaled a soft breath to calm her nerves.

"Shikamaru? Are you going to answer me?"

He growled, "Do I have to explain the fact that I had to go to the bathroom?!"

"You have a cup next to your bed! Why do you need to get up and unplug yourself from the machines to give the nurses a heart attack—"

Their argument had ensued and grew even more heated before Sakura decided she needed to leave the room. He stifled a sigh when the door slammed. Why was she acting like this? He was the one injured and she was acting like his mother! He loved his mother, but she was the only woman who could nag him to death and get away with it. That's when he remembered Sakura always acted out on her emotions.

Even in high school she was… a _pain_ in the _ass_.

She had been given the role of Class President, which almost stressed her out to the point of her nearly losing all her friends. When he thought about that, a memory appeared in his head, and he recalled the time he found her crying behind the school. It was the spot he usually went to go cloud-gazing or to take a nap while skipping classes. No one ever really noticed his absence, so he wasn't worried about it.

Sakura didn't see him at first—obviously, since she continued to whine into her hands while mumbling how much of an idiot she was. Shikamaru waited patiently and tried to sneak off when he figured things were too loud for her to notice his presence. As soon as he started to leave, he stepped on a stick, and that gave her the realization that he was standing there.

It was awkward. Shikamaru wasn't into comforting females as he always found the attempt to be troublesome. Most females didn't listen and never understood what he was trying to say. When he realized that, everything in his life changed for the better. He never tried helping a girl sort out their emotions again.

But she was giving him _that_ look—one which meant she didn't want him to go. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and allowed her the chance to vent to him. She never asked for his advice, though he wasn't sure whether to find that to be insulting or not. When she was done, she gave him a slight smile, said thank you, and then left like nothing had ever happened. After that, things between them went back to normal.

It confused him to no end.

Shikamaru continued to sneak to the back of the school to go cloud-gazing and sometimes he would see her there, waiting for him. He wondered if she wanted to lecture him into going back to class, but she never once mentioned it, and they sat there together without bothering one another. They would discuss logical standpoints, fight on debatable subjects, and then would seem like acquaintances after they left that spot. He didn't understand it, though he decided there was no point in questioning things like that.

They remained in touch after graduating high school, but it was mainly through texts or instant messaging. Once he got engaged, they didn't stay in touch anymore, and he always wondered why. He suspected his crazy ass ex-fiancée had something to do with that. When they broke up, Ino badgered him with questions as to why he suddenly didn't want to be her friend anymore.

Amazingly it happened when he popped the question to his ex. That night in fact. She never asked him until they broke up, and he told her it was because of her. He never sent that message, so he it was revealed that he had been hacked by his crazy ex-fiancée. That message was sent to many of his female friends. When his ex-fiancée moved out, he never spoke to her again, and rekindled a lot of his friendships that she broke off.

It was troublesome, to say the least.

That never happened with Sakura though, and he figured it was because she just didn't want to. He could have asked, but never wanted to just in case she was too busy or something else along those lines.

Of course, he never expected it to be because of that abusive boyfriend of hers controlling her every move. Ino had informed him of this one night when they, along with Choji, had dinner together to catch up on certain things. Shikamaru didn't know why it bothered him—didn't know why he cared, but it was there. A part of him wondered why Naruto never interfered. When he asked Ino that, she revealed to him it was because she never told Naruto what was going on to make sure he wasn't harmed.

A few days after that and her boyfriend had dumped her without probable cause. Shikamaru never revealed to anyone what happened.

He made over 100 calculations of what could happen, what could go wrong, and how things would play out in the end. He asked one of his underground friends to hack into his systems, send warnings, and proposition him into wanting another female. She was beautiful—ruthless, and Shikamaru almost felt bad for what he had done until he realized he saved Sakura's life.

The next time he saw her, she looked like she had seen better days. Sakura was still beautiful, but there were black lines underneath her eyes and she looked as though she didn't eat. Shikamaru never revealed himself, but he kept watch on her to make sure that guy never returned.

He didn't. So Shikamaru went back to living his life like he never interfered in hers.

'She has always been too emotional, never logical in most of her actions,' Shikamaru thought, 'Is that why she is so passionate about this?'

As soon as the door opened, Shikamaru looked up, and watched as Sakura showed herself in. She calmly made sure the door was closed behind her before she approached him. She still seemed angry with him for what happened earlier, so he decided not to say anything until she did. She had her stethoscope in her hands and moved to stand next to him.

"We'll go through the usual breathing techniques to make sure the wound isn't prohibiting airways or if there is a sound that doesn't belong," Sakura placed the stethoscope onto his chest, "Breathe in, breathe out." She gave a few more instructions before writing something on her clipboard and turned to leave the room.

He stopped her by grabbing her wrist. That made her look at him in confusion, though she didn't say anything, and simply pursed her lips into a small line. "I'm sorry okay? Usually I wouldn't mind the silence… your nagging _can_ be annoying…" he noticed her look and squeezed her wrist gently, "But you are being quiet and that makes me nervous. So, can you not act like that?"

At first Sakura looked lethal, like she wanted to inject him with a drug to make him pass out and shut up. Once a few minutes passed, a small smile appeared on her lips, "Baka. You know better than to piss off your doctor, don't you? I oversee your stitches and pain medication after all!"

Shikamaru simply chuckled and finally released her wrist, "I can't say I won't be troublesome, but you have to meet me on some common ground here Sakura."

The pinkette sighed and was going to respond until the door opened again, and his parents were rushing in. He was startled when his mother took him into her arms; her eyes overflowing with tears. Shikamaru patted her back awkwardly and watched as Sakura left the room without giving anyone else in the room a chance to notice. Everyone except him at least.

Yoshino pulled back and placed her hands on his cheeks, "Oh Shikamaru, you scared me…" When she was positive that his condition was stable, she had smacked his head gently. "Why the hell would you do this to your family!? You almost made me faint from the stress!"

Shikaku sighed and tugged on his wife's arm, "Be careful woman, you don't want to open his wounds." His eyes turned towards his son who was holding his head in pain. Despite it being gentle, his mother's hits were still tough, "You did give us quite a scare. We were stuck in Yukigakure because of the snow. We almost didn't make it." That reminded Shikamaru that they were on their second honeymoon. Why they chose somewhere cold, Shikamaru would never know, but he decided he didn't actually want to know because it involved him thinking of his parents in a certain way. That was just uncomfortable for everyone involved.

Eventually the pain subsided, and he leaned back, "What a drag," He said with a light sigh, "Don't worry about me. Sakura has been a good doctor." 'Even though she is also crazy and has tried to hit me more than once just for not following the hospital's rules.' That was something else he would have liked to say, but he didn't need his mother making a scene for his sake. He hated to admit it, but Sakura had a point when she said he didn't need to piss her off.

"Well it isn't much but," Shikaku held up a mini Shogi board, "I brought it with me because I knew you would lose your mind being in this hospital." Shikamaru took it after thanking him and felt himself smile. "We also brought some clothes for you, along with bath stuff. I don't know if you noticed, but you don't smell good."

Shikamaru didn't have much else to say to that. Their visit didn't last much longer before Sakura had to shoo them out, so she could change his bandages. He was glad his parents came by but was disappointed when Choji said he couldn't come until the day before he would be released from the hospital. He knew he was stuck in Kirigakure, though he didn't realize the extent of it. He wasn't worried about it. A part of him didn't particularly want visitors to begin with. It seemed to stress out Sakura a little more.

Once she was done, Shikamaru was already messing with the little Shogi board his father had gave him and looked up at her when she was about to leave the room. "Do you want to play?"

Sakura's eyes settled on his face before she looked down at the board in his lap, then back to his face again, which gave their eyes the chance to meet, "That board is a little small. Are you sure we can…?" Shikamaru felt awkward with this question. It didn't help that the Shogi board was in his crotch!

He rubbed his cheek, 'How troublesome.' With a little shake of his head, he moved it forward after straightening out the pieces, and waved his hand towards it; "Are you afraid you will lose? I figured you would be up for the challenge Sakura." He was antagonizing her, and he knew it. He was aware that she had other patients to attend to, but her rounds usually ended around this time, which gave her the chance to relax for at least thirty minutes. He knew he studied her patterns, but there was nothing wrong with that. Right?

She smiled and placed the clipboard onto a nearby table before settling herself into a chair next to the board. She would be able to play like this without interrupting his healing process.

The longer they played, the more it was revealed to Sakura that he knew her moves before she did and counterattacked her every time. Most instances had him saying 'Checkmate' and annoying her to no end. They spoke a few times, though they were both focused on the game, challenging one another with looks, and certain smirks when they collected pieces.

Surprisingly Sakura nearly beat him in this game. Shikamaru was amazed by this, though he didn't show that on his face because he ended up being the victor regardless. She stretched when she stood, and his eyes remained trained on her neck for a moment before he focused back on her face again. "That was fun, but I have to make my rounds again."

She grabbed the clipboard and he spoke before she left the room, "Sakura, is there a chance I can take a shower?"

Sakura snorted, "The only possible way for that is a sponge bath. I don't trust you with that injury."

"I'm 27 Sakura, not 4 years old." Shikamaru responded in annoyance, but that didn't stop his thoughts from wondering towards the area of Sakura giving him a sponge bath. It caused his cheeks to heat up in embarrassment, which he tried shaking away before she could notice.

Sadly, for him, she noticed. However, she chose not to mention it. "All right… I suppose I can trust you enough to shower on your own. I'll return in a few minutes to make sure your stitches are okay."

He nodded and sighed with relief. She turned to leave again, but stopped herself, and turned in his direction; "Shikamaru?"

"… Hm?"

There was a smile gracing her lips and he noticed that she was fidgeting with her clipboard, "Thanks for the game of Shogi. I… it was a nice distraction."

"You're welcome." Shikamaru responded with a smile of his own. She nodded to him before finally leaving the room, but his eyes remained focused on the door for a moment longer. There was something wrong with her, though she had no intentions on confiding in him about it, so he supposed he could put it in the back of his mind for now.

He needed a shower before anything.

Since his parents put it so _eloquently_ that he smelled bad.

'Thanks dad.' He said sarcastically in his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Somehow Shikamaru had managed to fuck up his stitches. He wasn't sure how, but when he took that shower and came back out, his side was bleeding. Sakura had been furious, obviously, though she only helped clean him up before anything got worse. He apologized profusely in hopes she wouldn't take away his showers. Also, to keep her from nagging him to death.

Sakura didn't say much as she cleaned up his wound and made sure the stitches were back in place. She was silent through the whole thing, which made him more than uncomfortable. Most times he enjoyed a woman not talking his ear off, but with Sakura… that whole issue was weird.

When she was done, she left the room, and he was alone again. The next day Ino and the Uzumaki's returned to visit him, giving him his phone that had been confiscated by the police. He was thankful for that because the Shogi board could only entertain him so much. Not only that, another game against himself grew tiring. That wasn't fun enough. Not mentally challenging.

He asked Hinata to play after returning the bento box. She gave him another one filled with his favorite meal, and a part of him almost felt jealous for Naruto. He had a beautiful woman who could cook, what wasn't to love about that? She didn't play with him though, so that was a little bit of a drawback.

They had left when it was time for them to go for dinner. Shikamaru was laying back on the bed with his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling with disinterest. If only he could be allowed outside. He would be able to watch the clouds as they strolled by him silently. It was one of his favorite past times, and he couldn't even enjoy it right now.

A soft sigh released from his lips the longer he laid there. Sakura hadn't been by to visit him, though he tried to claim it was because she was so busy with other patients to tend to than him. He played it off like his wounds were bothering him, so she needed to come by and help him out. He didn't want to think it was because he wanted to see her.

But that was very much in play as well.

As soon as he heard the door open, Shikamaru shot up from his position, nearly hurting himself in the process, though he managed not to mess up his wound again. A young woman and an elderly man walked through, and he stared at them for a moment longer, obviously unsure as to who was visiting him. It wasn't until the girl spoke when he realized who it was.

"I'm Ayame and this is my father," She started to say, "I have been trying to visit you since you've been admitted to thank you for saving my life."

Her father approached him and held something in his hands, which caused Shikamaru to look at Ayame in question until she nudged for him to take it. Once he opened the packet, he realized it was a few tokens to eat ramen from Ichiraku's shop for free. He was relieved to see that it wasn't money. Shikamaru didn't do this to be recognized or for fame. He just wanted to make sure she was all right.

"It isn't much, but it's all we can spare. I wanted to thank you for saving my daughter. If she had been killed, then…" Her father trailed off after looking in her direction, "Anyway, that's what I came to give you. I'm sorry it isn't a proper reward."

'What a drag…' Shikamaru said inside his head with a sigh. "I didn't even need this but thank you all the same. I'm glad you're doing okay."

The two nodded in unison and spoke to him a few more minutes before they finally left. He was silent and stared down at the tokens with a frown. They thought he needed a proper reward, but that wasn't what he wanted to help her out for. He wasn't a hero by any means, but a male shouldn't hurt a defenseless woman.

Ah well, his ex-fiancée Shiho always called him chauvinistic for a reason.

He placed the tokens by his jacket and leaned back again, keeping his brown hues focused towards the door, though he wasn't expecting anyone else to come by. At least most of his friends visited him to make sure he remained busy. Sakura said he was stuck in here for a week, but he hoped it would be less than that. He was driving himself nuts just laying in this hospital bed with nothing to do.

Shikamaru didn't know when he dozed off but by the time he woke up it was nearing ten at night. He sighed and grabbed something, so he could wash out his mouth before he did anything else. After debating for a while, Shikamaru grabbed his phone to play a game on. He wasn't particularly interested in this game, though it was better than nothing.

The door opened again, and he looked up to see Sakura finally coming inside. She held a sponge and a few other things in her hands which caused him to look at her in curiosity. Sakura gave him a small smile, "I'm giving you a bath tonight. You reopened your wounds last night which means I have to show you how to do it."

"Absolutely not!" Shikamaru said before he could even help himself, "Have you lost your-?"

Sakura placed her hands on her hips, "I guess I can get the Nurses Kotetsu and Izumo to come give you your bath, but you are not taking one on your own. I want to make sure you're set for when you leave."

Shikamaru eyed her carefully and thought back to the two nurses she had named off. They mostly fought about stupid things, which was more annoying than he cared to admit. He sighed and shook his head, "Not sure if I will regret this… but fine."

Sakura gave him a moment to fill the bath with water so he could undress and get inside before she came into the bathroom. She told him to be careful with his bandages, so he did, and managed not to get them wet. "I'm ready Sakura." Shikamaru didn't want to admit how embarrassing this was, but he hoped Sakura wouldn't tell anyone about what transpired between them while he was here.

'This is stupid…' He thought, 'It's just a bath.'

When she came in, she knelt next to the tub and grabbed a few of the things she needed to make sure she could wash him correctly. Shikamaru stared at the wall with his muscles tense and his back rigid, which made her nudge him lightly. "You need to relax."

He tried to relax and failed every time. It didn't help that her hand sometimes brushed his flesh, or her fingertips glided over him in a way that made his cheeks heat up from the feeling. He tried to distract himself as best he could, but most of it wasn't working. A part of him knew she was used to this because she was a doctor, though that didn't help him feel less embarrassed.

Her breath fanned his cheek as she reached for his other shoulder and that caused him to turn in her direction. It was an accident, pure in nature, but if someone came in to see them like this then they would both be in trouble. Their eyes met briefly though his scanned her face before settling back on her emerald hues. They were so close, too close, and Shikamaru felt his heartbeat quickening slightly until she broke the spell to pull back.

For a moment he wondered if he had imagined it, but there was something in her gaze that resembled something else other than being a little friendly. He wondered if he was the only one effected by this exchange until he noticed the blemish on her cheeks and the way she shifted uncomfortably from where she was.

With a shake of his head, he looked away, hoping to get the thoughts that flooded his mind to go the hell away.

She was the one to break the silence first, "Remember our homecoming dance sophomore year?" Sakura began to question, which caused him to chuckle.

"How could I forget? It was the one I tried to skip, but Ino wouldn't let me."

"Neither one of us had dates. We stood in the back like losers and tried entertaining ourselves."

"It was such a drag," Shikamaru said with a light groan, "It didn't help that the girl I actually liked tried dancing with every guy to make me jealous."

Sakura went back to washing him as he spoke, though she tried keeping her distance this time. Shikamaru didn't really notice. "I remember you asking me to dance. You said something about a girl didn't need to be sitting there alone while all her friends danced like that."

"Well it's true. Despite you not wanting anyone else to notice, Sasuke dancing with Karin was bugging you."

She stifled a small laugh, "Back then I think the whole school was obsessed with him."

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose, "Yeah I never understood why. It was such a pain in the ass. No one could really ask a girl on a date without competing with Sasuke in some way. I never liked him to be honest. All of it was such a drag."

Sakura's hands moved to his hair; gently massaging shampoo into it. This caused Shikamaru to clear his throat uneasily, obviously still thinking of what happened to them earlier. "You know there was one moment I though you were going to… you know…"

When she trailed off, Shikamaru turned his head to look at her, though she seemed focused on his hair. At least that's what she tried playing it off as. "I thought you were going to kiss me." She finally finished her sentence and he blinked a little in surprise, but he didn't look away from her.

She was right. There was one moment that night where he planned on kissing her. It felt right with the way he held her hand and the way her arms were wrapped around his neck. The lights had dimmed, most of them were shining on other parts in the gym, giving them almost a romantic feeling. He had chickened out by the end of the night, deciding it was too troublesome to worry about.

Real life wasn't a fairy tale. Most times high school relationships never worked out. Exhibit A: Sai and Ino. They dated through most of high school but by the time it was over, they both had to go their separate ways. He went to an art school in Suna while Ino remained in Konoha to become a model. They're still friends, but Ino was trying to focus on moving on. She knew they weren't going to get back together.

"That's all in the past now though," Sakura stated as she rinsed out his hair easily, "I just figured I would say something about it. I… appreciate all you've done for me Shikamaru."

At this moment everything around them stopped. Her hand was still in his hair and he was watching her intently, obviously wondering what he should say to her next. That's when she moved her hand to his cheek while he wrapped his own around her wrist; his thumb gently brushing against her skin. The embarrassment between them was gone, and there was something else in the air around them. Neither of them knew what it was, and they didn't care.

Before either one of them could do or say anything, a loud beeping from Sakura's pocket snapped them out of whatever trance they had been in. She jumped and immediately tore her hand away from him to check the pager. "Oh… I have to…" She looked at him again, "Please be careful getting out on your own. One of my patients needs me and I—"

"Go, I'll be fine." Seconds later and she was gone, running from the bathroom so she could tear through the hallways. He sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair as he thought about how much he hated hospitals. Shikamaru got himself out of the bath a few minutes later and dried himself off, being careful about his wound, and got dressed again.

He cleaned everything up to help Sakura out before he moved into his room, walking over towards the windows which had the moon shining through them. He and Sakura had a confusing history. They spoke in school, hung out sometimes, and yet here they were years later, acting like they never stopped for one second. He had a crush on her when he was 12, but she was the unattainable one who paid more attention to that Uchiha asshole than anyone else.

His crush eventually faded away, but a part of him wondered if it was coming up again. Was he imagining what happened in the bathroom back there? Was it because he was naked?

'I hope getting out of this hospital will give me a little more perspective.' He dug his nails into the wall he was holding onto, feeling the craving of a cigarette rising inside of him. Tapping his fingers against it slightly, he did his best to distract himself long enough to stop thinking about his nicotine addiction.

But then his thoughts strayed back to Sakura and he realized he was in a lose-lose situation either way.

Dammit.


End file.
